First, if you want the free printable worksheet to help you follow along with your tasks today, subscribe below to get it immediately delivered to your inbox. Otherwise, scroll on down to begin.

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your day 1 tasks are:

Scroll through all of Task 1 below and order your packing materials, then click the button at the bottom to head on to Task #2–buying your domain name.

your first task for day 1

Your first job of the day is to find packaging and order it. Getting packaging delivered to you is going to be the biggest delay in launching your shipping, so you need to do this first thing!

Before you go running off to buy your packaging, there are two things to consider. These are:

• Sizing (what product weights you’ll be selling)
• Dimensional Weight

Sizing

First, you need to consider the average weight of each of your boxes. This will impact box selection! We’ll go into product design details later, but here are the two things you should know upfront:

1. You’re going to be selling as pre-designed packages, not a la carte. We’ll explain why later when we get to that module (it’s the first module of Day 2, Designing Your Product)
2. All your packages should be a similar weight that will fill your box but not underfill it.

We recommend either a 14X14X14 box or a 16X16X16 box size. 14X14X14 fits anywhere from about 15 lbs to 25 lbs of product. 16X16X16 will fit between 25-38 lbs. It’s best not to go over 38 lbs maximum because UPS charges a surcharge for weights above 50 lbs, and you still need to account for ice and box weight.

To choose which weight you’d like your average package to be, consider your customer. Do they like buying big packs in bulk? If so, go with the bigger box. Do they prefer to buy less weight because they have smaller freezer space? Go with the smaller box.

Do be aware that a bigger box is going to be cheaper, because you can ship more product in one box.

So: pick your box size based on the average weight you’d like in each box. If a little smaller, go with a 14X14X14. If a little bigger, 16X16X16. Don’t worry, you can always change this later! When you run out of packaging, you can upgrade to a bigger or smaller size! You’re not stuck with the box size you choose.

Dimensional Weight

It might seem fine to just buy a bigger box and still ship smaller orders in this box even though there’s going to be extra space. But the problem is that UPS and FedEx both charge a dimensional weight. This means that if your box is a certain size (say, for example, 16X16X16) they estimate that the box contains a minimum of x amount of pounds, and you’ll be charged for that weight even if the actual weight is less. So it’s okay to go over dimensional weight, then you’ll just pay by weight. But if you’re under dimensional weight, you’ll pay the dimensional weight. To calculate dimensional weight of specific box sizes, visit this page.

For our 2 recommended sizes, dimensional weights are:

• 20 lbs for the 14X14X14
• 30 lbs for the 16X16X16

If this sounds complicated, no need to worry about it too much. Just make sure:

• Your actual full box weight is above the dimensional weight. It’s okay if you go over, just don’t be under!
• You’re filling up your box with not a ton of empty space.
• And remember, you’ll be adding about 4-6 lbs of ice, and the packaging will weigh about 3 lbs, so calculate for that in your weights as well!

Once you’ve picked a size that will best accommodate your average package size with a little extra space for ice but not too much, you are ready to order packaging!

Here’s What to Order for Packaging!

A quick disclaimer: We recommend you buy from Uline as you’re just starting out. But be aware, this is neither the cheapest nor the best option. But Uline can sell small quantities of materials while other suppliers require bulk purchases, and Uline can deliver them to your door in 3-4 days. So for those reasons, this is a good option to start with. But as you begin to expand, look elsewhere for less expensive packaging!

Materials You’ll Need